WA Senate passes bill on speed limiting devices for habitual speeders
The state Senate passed House Bill 1596, requiring habitual speeders to use devices limiting their cars to posted speed limits to reduce fatal crashes.
Named "The BEAM Act" in honor of crash victims, the bill aims to change driver behavior and improve public safety.
Despite some opposition, the bill returns to the House for amendments before heading to the governor, who supports it.
OLYMPIA, Wash. - The state Senate passed a bill Tuesday morning attempting to stop habitual speeders in their tracks.
Passed on a 40-8 vote, House Bill 1596 would require certain drivers to install an "intelligent speed assistance" device that limits their car to the posted speed limit of the area they are in. Drivers with the device would be allowed to exceed the speed limit up to three times a month.
Similar to how ignition interlock devices are mandated for people with a history of drunk driving, a person would have a speed limiter if they get a restricted license that requires one, during a probation period after getting their license suspended for reckless driving or excessive speeding, or if they have been ordered to have a device by a court.
What they're saying
"Installing intelligent speed assistance devices in vehicles will guarantee that drivers physically cannot exceed the speed limit," said Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, during the floor debate.
"It is also a reminder to the drivers of their dangerous driving behavior, and hopefully will serve as a tool for lasting behavior change," he added.
"We're losing family members, we're losing lost souls to those who are intentionally choosing to drive fast. And this will provide an opportunity to save our neighbors and increase our public safety," said prime sponsor Rep. Mari Leavitt, D-University Place, after the bill passed.
Leavitt pointed to state data showing fatal car crashes have been on an upward trend since 2019, with a growing number of them involving speeding.
She was particularly moved by a crash in King County last March that killed 38-year-old Andrea Smith and three children. A man was accused of causing the crash by driving well over 100 miles an hour in a 40 mph zone. He pleaded guilty earlier this month.
The bill was titled "The BEAM Act" in honor of those who died in the crash.
"BEAM is an acronym for the first letter of the first name of the four who died last March in Renton, so Boyd, Eloise, Andrea and Matilda," Leavitt explained.
The other side
Eight Republicans ultimately voted against the legislation. Sen. Perry Dozier, R-Waitsburg, said while he supports the intent of stopping habitual speeders, he had concerns about oversight and monitoring "creeping into others" with one or two isolated incidents.
"There could be an instance where you have to speed, a medical emergency where something is happening – maybe your wife's having a baby and you're exceeding the speed limit and then you get caught like that," he said.
The bill will go back to the House to concur with amendments made in the Senate before heading over to the governor.
"I've heard from the governor's office that they're very excited about this bill and about the ability to save lives," Leavitt said. "So I'm feeling very confident that we'll get it over the finish line this year."
Albert James is a television reporter covering state government as part of the Murrow News Fellowship program – a collaborative effort between news outlets statewide and Washington State University.
The Source
Information in this story comes from Murrow News Fellow Albert James.
Drunken night caught on bodycam costs Mercer Island cop his rank
FEMA denies $34M in funds for WA bomb cyclone relief, gives no explanation
1997 WA cold case victim identified; Gary Ridgway not ruled out
2 charged in brutal Burien kidnapping, attempted murder
Watch: Coyote gets 'booped' by its potential rodent dinner
Red Robin launching Bottomless Burger Pass for National Burger Month
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Top Oversight Democrat: DOJ plan to release Epstein files in ‘batches' a ‘cover-up'
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said the plan for the Department of Justice to respond in 'batches' to the committee's subpoena for files relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein amounts to a 'cover-up.' 'Releasing the Epstein files in batches just continues this White House cover-up,' Garcia said in a statement Tuesday. 'The American People will not accept anything short of the full, unredacted Epstein files.' Garcia's statement came as the clock struck noon Tuesday, the deadline for the Department of Justice to turn over documents and communications relating to the 'Epstein files' pursuant to an Oversight panel subpoena issued earlier this month. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the chair of the panel, said Monday \the DOJ was going through the material, but it would take time to ensure 'identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted.' He said the DOJ would begin to give the committee records pursuant to the subpoena on Friday. 'In a bipartisan vote, the Committee demanded complete compliance with our subpoena,' Garcia said in the statement. 'Handpicked, partial productions are wholly insufficient and potentially misleading, especially after Attorney General Bondi bragged about having the entirety of the Epstein files on her desk mere months ago.' Comer issued the subpoena to the DOJ pursuant to a Democratic-led motion in a subcommittee in July to seek the 'full, unredacted Epstein files,' which passed with support from three Republicans on the panel. In that same subcommittee meeting, Republicans offered a successful motion to subpoena a swath of former federal officials in the Epstein probe, including former President Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and several former attorneys general and FBI directors. The first of those depositions occurred Monday when former Attorney General Bill Barr, who held the job in President Trump's first term, spoke to the panel. Comer told reporters on Monday that Barr testified he did not know of any information that would implicate Trump. Garcia, though, said Barr during his deposition 'could not clear President Trump of wrongdoing,' calling on Comer to release the full unedited transcript of Barr's deposition to the public. 'We will keep pressing until the American people get the truth — every document, every fact, in full,' Garcia said. 'The administration must comply with our subpoena, by law.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Texas Rep. Nicole Collier alleges "illegal confinement" by GOP
Rep. Nicole Collier, the Democratic state lawmaker who spent Monday night inside the Texas Capitol, is asking a court to let her exit the building, alleging she's facing "illegal restraint by the government" after she was told she needs a police escort to leave. The Fort Worth lawmaker and dozens of other Democrats left Texas earlier this month to delay a vote on a GOP-led plan to redraw the state's congressional map. The Democrats returned to Texas in recent days and they were given state police escorts to ensure they will show up when the state House convenes Wednesday, but Collier refused to sign a "permission slip" to be under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Collier says she slept on the House floor overnight. Collier told CBS News' "The Takeout" on Tuesday that several other Democrats "tore up their permission slips" and will join her on the House floor Tuesday night. "I refuse to comply with this unreasonable, un-American and unnecessary request," Collier said. Meanwhile, in a habeas corpus application filed in Austin state court on Monday, lawyers for Collier alleged "illegal confinement." The petition says state Rep. Charlie Geren, a Republican who chairs the House Administration Committee, told Collier: "If you leave the Capitol you are subject to arrest." Collier's petition does not mention the state police escorts. Collier's attorneys argue that's illegal. They acknowledged that Texas law allows lawmakers who are absent from the Capitol to face civil arrest, but they say state officials have no legal right to detain legislators who are already present at the Capitol to ensure they don't leave. "The plain language is clear: a member may be compelled by the Sergeant-at-Arms to attend a legislative session if he or she is physically absent, but no such power is conferred on the Legislature to arrest or otherwise compel a member who is currently present (and not absent) to stay," the Democrat's court petition read. Collier, a seven-term lawmaker and former chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, is asking a judge to order the House Sergeant-at-Arms to "immediately release" her, and to bar the Sergeant-at-Arms from "restraining Representative Collier in any respect." CBS News has reached out to Geren, House Speaker Dustin Burrows and the Texas Department of Public Safety for comment. The Texas House is set to reconvene on Wednesday at 10 a.m., when lawmakers are expected to move forward on a mid-decade redistricting effort that was pushed by President Trump. The new congressional maps could give Republicans a boost in next year's midterm elections, as the party aims to hold onto its narrow edge in the U.S. House. The plan was temporarily derailed earlier this month when dozens of Democratic members of the Texas House left the state in protest, denying House Republicans a quorum for the final two weeks of a special legislative session called by Gov. Greg Abbott to redraw the congressional maps. Republican officials threatened to seek Democrats' arrest or push from their removal from the legislature unless they returned to the state Capitol. Abbott called another special session starting Wednesday. Republicans are widely expected to pass the redistricting plan, given their decisive majorities in the state House and Senate. The plan has sparked nationwide recrimination from Democrats, with blue states like California and New York floating their own redistricting efforts. One plan in California could create five more Democratic-leaning seats, offsetting Texas's efforts. Texas Rep. Nicole Collier speaks out after being told she can't leave Capitol without police escort What's behind the latest FBI shakeup with Missouri AG set to join Bongino as co-deputy director Lead ACLU lawyer calls "Alligator Alcatraz," "unprecedented and not normal" Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WAGOP chair compares Ferguson's rhetoric on immigration stance to Confederate leaders
Washington Republican leaders sharply criticized Governor Bob Ferguson's response to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's August 13 letter, which demanded the state end what Bondi called 'sanctuary state' policies that obstruct federal immigration law. WAGOP Chairman and State Rep. Jim Walsh issued a statement Tuesday saying Ferguson's position risks public safety and undermines federal authority. 'The current governor's response to Attorney General Pam Bondi's letter of August 13 demanding that he end his unlawful 'sanctuary state' policies is disappointing but entirely predictable,' Walsh said. 'Bob Ferguson puts essential functions of state government at risk in order to perpetuate a foolish political fight with the federal government.' Walsh criticized Ferguson's emphasis on 'values' in defending the Keep Washington Working Act, the 2019 state law limiting local law enforcement's cooperation with federal immigration agencies. He said Ferguson's rhetoric echoes Confederate leaders who resisted federal authority during the Civil War. 'These justifications didn't end well for Davis and Stephens then; they aren't likely to end well for Ferguson now,' Walsh said. Republicans argue that the state's restrictions prevent federal immigration officers from targeting dangerous individuals in prisons and jails. 'If Ferguson is really interested in 'keeping Washingtonians safe,' he would cooperate with the Feds and give them access to our jails and prisons—where they can focus on locating and deporting gang members, drug dealers, sex traffickers and other hardened illegal alien criminals,' Walsh said. The statement also accused Ferguson and other Democratic officials of ignoring the impact of illegal immigration on sex trafficking in the state. 'The dirty secret of Bob Ferguson's 'sanctuary state' policies is that they have enabled the steady growth of sex trafficking in Washington,' Walsh said, alleging that traffickers use Interstate 5 to move children into sex slavery. Walsh urged Ferguson to 'rise above his petty partisan politics' and work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies. 'That cooperation will actually make our communities safer,' he said. The Republican statement came hours after Ferguson, joined by Democratic lawmakers and immigrant rights groups, rejected Bondi's threat of criminal prosecution. Ferguson has maintained that Washington will not redirect local law enforcement resources away from community safety to carry out federal immigration enforcement. Solve the daily Crossword
